The name Shrove Tuesday comes from 'shrive', meaning absolution for sins by doing penance.

The day gets its name from the tradition of Christmas trying to be 'shriven' before Lent. Christians would go to Confession, where they admit their sins to a priest and ask for absolution. A bell would be rung to call them to Confession, which was called the 'pancake bell'. It's still rung today.

In the US it's called Mardi Gras aka 'Fat Tuesday' in French mainly because we use up the fatty foods before Lent.

Pancake Day itself came much later as a way of using up rich foods, like eggs, milk and sugar before the 40 days of fasting - Lent.

Why pancakes?

Pancakes are now forever associated with Shrove Tuesday as it is a sort of all-in-one way of using up some fatty foods before Lent.

In the past the ideas was for families to clear out their cupboards and remove the fattening foods (normally the tempting ones) so they aren't in their house during Lent.

Eggs, milk and sugar aren't traditionally eaten in fasting season, so need to be scoffed beforehand.

The actual tradition of mixing them up for pancakes is thought to come from a pagan ritual, but others say it is a Christian tradition - with each ingredient representing one of the four pillars of the faith. Eggs for creation, flour sustenance or the staff of life, salt for wholesomeness and milk for purity.

(Image: PA)

If you're wondering why we toss pancakes it looks like it's a tradition that dates back far longer than any of us have been around.

The pancake features in cook books as far back as 1439 and the idea of tossing them is almost as old. "And every man and maide doe take their turne, And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne." (Pasquil's Palin, 1619).

What to have on your pancakes

If milk and eggs aren't enough of a treat then there are an endless conveyor belt of toppings you can choose to eat your pancakes with.